“He has already missed all of his strategic goals,” said Scholz on Thursday at the end of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. “A taking of the whole Ukraine through Russia seems further away today than it was at the beginning of the war. More than ever emphasizes the Ukraine their European future.”
Brutality has welded Ukraine together
In addition, the “brutality of the Russian war” has welded the Ukrainian nation closer together than ever before and prompted two states to move closer to NATO: “With Sweden and Finland, two close friends and partners want to join the North Atlantic alliance. You are very welcome!” , said the German chancellor. Putin also underestimated the unity and strength with which the Group of Seven Industrial Nations (G7), NATO and the EU responded to his aggression. Putin wants to go back to a world order in which the stronger dictate what is right, said Scholz. “This is an attempt to bomb us back to a time when war was a common policy tool.”
Climate goals must be pursued more resolutely
Due to the Russian war of aggression, Scholz believes that Germany must also pursue its climate goals more resolutely. According to the SPD politician, the plan to become CO2-neutral by 2045 “gained even more importance” as a result of the war. “Now especially!” That’s why the motto is.” The Russian war is not “the sole trigger of the turning point”, but it increases the pressure to act. If the Paris climate targets are missed, the world is heading for a catastrophe. In order to enable further economic growth, the classic industrialized countries would have to Invest in the development of new technologies that could then be used worldwide, said Scholz.
New forms of international cooperation
In his speech, Scholz also called for new forms of international cooperation. One should no longer look for political partners only in the same countries. “In this multipolar world, very different countries and regions are demanding a greater political say in line with their growing economic and demographic weight,” said Scholz. He added, “To be clear, there is no threat in that.” International cooperation provides answers. It’s about progress in future issues.
In Asia, Africa and Latin America there are new, aspiring powers that are taking advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization. “For too long we have practically equated “democracy” with the “West” in the classic sense,” said Scholz. That’s why he invited South Africa, Senegal, India, Indonesia and Argentina to this year’s summit of seven major industrial nations (G7) in Elmau in Bavaria at the end of June.
In view of the turmoil in international trade, Scholz warned of the increasing isolation of economies. “De-globalization is a dead end. (…) Of course we have to reduce some strategic dependencies. Our dependency on energy imports from Russia also falls into this category – which is why it is being ended.” The economy achieves more resilience in a crisis-prone world above all by positioning itself more broadly.
“At the same time, we must be careful that the need for diversification does not become an excuse for isolationism, tariff barriers and protectionism,” he warned. The price of tariffs and trade barriers is being paid by businesses, workers and consumers who are already suffering from rising prices. Inflation in Europe has reached record levels, driven by more expensive oil and gas.
The World Economic Forum in Davos comes to an end this Thursday after four days. The Russian War of Aggression in the Ukraine has been going on for more than three months now. Thoughts about this would haunt Scholz far beyond his working day, he admitted: “You can’t switch off there, it just doesn’t stop”. Like millions of other people in Europe and the world, this worries him every day. “Also the question of whether a war is breaking out now, which is about the current war in the Ukraine reaches out.”
The human rights situation in China was also discussed. Recently, new reports have appeared about the brutal repression of the Muslim Uyghur minority. In his speech, Scholz called on the international community not to simply accept the violation of human rights in China. The People’s Republic is once again a global player, but no claim to hegemony in Asia and beyond can be derived from this. “Nor can we turn a blind eye when human rights are being violated, as we are seeing in Xinjiang.” According to human rights activists, hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have been sent to re-education camps in Xinjiang province.
Source: Nachrichten
